I should be sleeping right now. Not because I'm partial to an afternoon nap, but because I, along with Sarah, am covering the election tonight. We start work at 11pm and don't know what time we'll finish. The mini bus leaves for Scotland at 8.30am tomorrow and we have to be at the CPC Centre to meet the others at 8am so we might have to go straight from the office. Eek! We are praying there won't have to be a re-count! If there is, our boss has kindly offered to step in - to cover the election result, not climb the 3 peaks (she was quick to point this out when she made the offer earlier this week!)
The final day before our challenge started badly for me. I woke up at 8.18am - I'm meant to start work at 8am! And it was deadline day. So after a frantic call to the office, I managed to wash, dress and drive to work in 20 minutes flat, not bad going really but not exactly the best way to start the day.
Sarah and I finished work at noon and both went our separate ways to do some last minute shopping - Sarah, with Keyan in tow, to buy food and a wick away t-shirt, me to get some very attractive thermal leggings.
Our personal trainer Demian left a very thoughtful message for us this morning telling us we all need to 'carb-up' today. So I took his advice and had pasta for lunch before heading off to bed. But after several hours of being tucked up under the duvet in an eye mask, trying to ignore the traffic noise and constantly checking off a mental list of things to pack, I have given up.
So when you climbing into bed tonight, please spare a thought for Sarah and I who will be spending our night waiting for the election results to come in, then trying to beat off journalists from Sky and the BBC to get interviews with the winners/losers, before heading back to the office to type them up, all the while trying not to worry about our challenge ahead.
Oh and finally, please spare a thought for Keyan, who might have the toughest job of all. He may not be up all night covering the election but he will have to deal with two very grumpy, sleep deprived women who will be blaming him for making them sign up to climb three mountains in the first place!
Jenni
Thursday 6 May 2010
Monday 26 April 2010
Cheating
So this is what happens when I take a holiday, it all goes to pot.
Well I'm back now and so's the blog after a week's holiday in which I 'cheated' by tackling Snowdon with a friend of mine.
Without wanting to jinx the entire thing, it wasn't tooo bad. I didn't scream once and the hacksaw I'd packed in case I was forced to take my legs off, stayed firmly in my backpack.
Now I just have to do it in the dark. After another two mountains. At 1am in the morning...
...yes, perhaps I'll stay quiet until I've finished.
What I did learn was that I need new socks after a blister appeared on my left foot, and to work in the gym more on my thighs and calves.
The views, as expected, were stunning but it wasn't until you reached the top when you really appreciated them. Whether I'll appreciate them quite as much the next time I'm at the top of Snowdon is quite another matter.
In (slightly) other news, we (read: the girls) raised more than £500 through the charity quiz with the help of about 65 generous and kind-hearted egg heads.
The quiz was held on April 15 at the CPC centre in View Road, Cliffe Woods and went down an absolute treat. A big thank you to everyone who came along and donated to the cause with their hard earned cash.
If you've been on the moon (the only excuse allowed) and not yet sponsored us, but have been dying to, then log on to www.justgiving.co.uk/messengerclimb
Well I'm back now and so's the blog after a week's holiday in which I 'cheated' by tackling Snowdon with a friend of mine.
Without wanting to jinx the entire thing, it wasn't tooo bad. I didn't scream once and the hacksaw I'd packed in case I was forced to take my legs off, stayed firmly in my backpack.
Now I just have to do it in the dark. After another two mountains. At 1am in the morning...
...yes, perhaps I'll stay quiet until I've finished.
What I did learn was that I need new socks after a blister appeared on my left foot, and to work in the gym more on my thighs and calves.
The views, as expected, were stunning but it wasn't until you reached the top when you really appreciated them. Whether I'll appreciate them quite as much the next time I'm at the top of Snowdon is quite another matter.
In (slightly) other news, we (read: the girls) raised more than £500 through the charity quiz with the help of about 65 generous and kind-hearted egg heads.
The quiz was held on April 15 at the CPC centre in View Road, Cliffe Woods and went down an absolute treat. A big thank you to everyone who came along and donated to the cause with their hard earned cash.
If you've been on the moon (the only excuse allowed) and not yet sponsored us, but have been dying to, then log on to www.justgiving.co.uk/messengerclimb
Tuesday 13 April 2010
Another week, another torture session (sorry, personal training session) at Virgin Active gym. My training has been going well over the last few weeks. In between going to the gym, I have been going for brisk 5k walks, so I was feeling quite good about my fitness levels. That was until yesterday.
Demian introduced me to the ViPR. You may have read about Sarah’s experience with this innocent looking rubber tube last month, but just to reiterate what she said – it’s mean!
After 10 minutes on the treadmill I had to do squats with this thing- holding it in front of me, letting it swing between my legs as I crouched down and then swinging it back into the air and above my head as I stood up.
Then I had to lay the ViPR on the floor and flip it over several times until I reached the end of the gym matt. Sounds simple enough I know but it’s not and it hurts! You had to squat down to pick it up, take a couple of steps sidewards, swap hands and then squat to put it back down again. And when that was all over you had to take a couple of steps back the other way to pick it up again. Demian kept telling me if I wanted a toned bum and thighs I had to do the squats properly (maybe I like having a wobbly bum!!) and for any squats I didn’t do properly (there were a few) I was punished by having to do squat thrusts. See what I mean about torture?!
About half way through the session I started to feel dizzy and my ears popped so I couldn’t here Demian’s latest lecture about working harder, although maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing (only joking Demian). He noticed I had gone very pale so walked me around the gym to get my heart rate to slow down a bit.
But then my rest was over and it was five minutes on the cross trainer before doing weird crab-like things across the gym mat. I had to get in a push-up position and then move sidewards to the end of the mat and run back again. After several of these I felt like my legs were going to fall off and I was praying my hour with Demian was up. But no, then I had to get in the push-up position and crawl across the matt again; forwards and backwards this time. I must have looked like a right plonker but by that time, I hurt so much I didn’t care.
Today, pretty much every muscle in my body aches, so I have given myself a day of rest. There is no way I could go for a walk or go to the gym, even if I wanted to; tackling the stairs in my house is painful enough!
Jenni
Demian introduced me to the ViPR. You may have read about Sarah’s experience with this innocent looking rubber tube last month, but just to reiterate what she said – it’s mean!
After 10 minutes on the treadmill I had to do squats with this thing- holding it in front of me, letting it swing between my legs as I crouched down and then swinging it back into the air and above my head as I stood up.
Then I had to lay the ViPR on the floor and flip it over several times until I reached the end of the gym matt. Sounds simple enough I know but it’s not and it hurts! You had to squat down to pick it up, take a couple of steps sidewards, swap hands and then squat to put it back down again. And when that was all over you had to take a couple of steps back the other way to pick it up again. Demian kept telling me if I wanted a toned bum and thighs I had to do the squats properly (maybe I like having a wobbly bum!!) and for any squats I didn’t do properly (there were a few) I was punished by having to do squat thrusts. See what I mean about torture?!
About half way through the session I started to feel dizzy and my ears popped so I couldn’t here Demian’s latest lecture about working harder, although maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing (only joking Demian). He noticed I had gone very pale so walked me around the gym to get my heart rate to slow down a bit.
But then my rest was over and it was five minutes on the cross trainer before doing weird crab-like things across the gym mat. I had to get in a push-up position and then move sidewards to the end of the mat and run back again. After several of these I felt like my legs were going to fall off and I was praying my hour with Demian was up. But no, then I had to get in the push-up position and crawl across the matt again; forwards and backwards this time. I must have looked like a right plonker but by that time, I hurt so much I didn’t care.
Today, pretty much every muscle in my body aches, so I have given myself a day of rest. There is no way I could go for a walk or go to the gym, even if I wanted to; tackling the stairs in my house is painful enough!
Jenni
Monday 12 April 2010
Accidental exercise
So the girls have been whinging at me to write something for a while now so I thought I'd pop in.
On Saturday I accidentally did some exercise after a 'friend' suggested we meet up for the Spurs Portsmouth FA Cup semi final.
After a flurry of text messages on Friday night he went very quiet. After a couple from me suggesting I called him when I got to the station I had no reply.
So, on Saturday afternoon, in beautiful sunshine I called him from just outside London Bridge tube station, where we arranged to meet.
"You're kidding?"
"Erm, no, what do you mean?"
"You're kidding?"
"No, why?"
"It's on Sunday."
Ah.
Good.
Excellent. And so, as my girlfriend and I were booked into a hotel for the evening, I walked from London Bridge to Marble Arch. About four miles I discovered later. Mitch would be pleased.
Actually, it was a lovely walk, beautiful weather and relatively quiet for central London, until I hit Oxford Street where I had to weave round the inevitable tourists. Even that proved good practise for the goats, boulders and the occasional falling Jenni/Sarah that I will probably meet on Snowdon/Scarfell/Nevis.
In other news, a bomb has been dropped.
My Mum, yes, Mother Keyan, has pledged to join the two girls and I on our challenge. CPC Kent, of course, is delighted. I am not so much. Generally, my mother is not the competitive type. But it seems when she gets in the gym with me she turns into a monster, capable of making Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson look like good losers. If I'm about she'll have to make me look like the weakling I am.
And I was so looking forward to 6am on Saturday, May 8.
The Medway Messenger Three Peaks Challenge team is still looking for teams to take part in our charity quiz this Thursday.
The top prize is tips and lunch with a Michelin starred chef, Richard Phillips.
Call 01634 227803 for more information or check the Medway Messenger website at www.medwaymessenger.co.uk
Keyan
On Saturday I accidentally did some exercise after a 'friend' suggested we meet up for the Spurs Portsmouth FA Cup semi final.
After a flurry of text messages on Friday night he went very quiet. After a couple from me suggesting I called him when I got to the station I had no reply.
So, on Saturday afternoon, in beautiful sunshine I called him from just outside London Bridge tube station, where we arranged to meet.
"You're kidding?"
"Erm, no, what do you mean?"
"You're kidding?"
"No, why?"
"It's on Sunday."
Ah.
Good.
Excellent. And so, as my girlfriend and I were booked into a hotel for the evening, I walked from London Bridge to Marble Arch. About four miles I discovered later. Mitch would be pleased.
Actually, it was a lovely walk, beautiful weather and relatively quiet for central London, until I hit Oxford Street where I had to weave round the inevitable tourists. Even that proved good practise for the goats, boulders and the occasional falling Jenni/Sarah that I will probably meet on Snowdon/Scarfell/Nevis.
In other news, a bomb has been dropped.
My Mum, yes, Mother Keyan, has pledged to join the two girls and I on our challenge. CPC Kent, of course, is delighted. I am not so much. Generally, my mother is not the competitive type. But it seems when she gets in the gym with me she turns into a monster, capable of making Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson look like good losers. If I'm about she'll have to make me look like the weakling I am.
And I was so looking forward to 6am on Saturday, May 8.
The Medway Messenger Three Peaks Challenge team is still looking for teams to take part in our charity quiz this Thursday.
The top prize is tips and lunch with a Michelin starred chef, Richard Phillips.
Call 01634 227803 for more information or check the Medway Messenger website at www.medwaymessenger.co.uk
Keyan
Wednesday 7 April 2010
Retail therapy
In between all the training, aching muscles and watching what I eat, one good thing has come of my preparations for the Three Peaks – an excuse to go shopping.
The Bank Holiday weekend seemed like the perfect time to start checking off the long list of things we need to take with us for the challenge. And believe me it is a long list – including some things I would rather not talk about (like large sandwich bags – I’ll leave you to figure out what we need those for).
So, armed with my list, some advice from a friend of mine who is a hill walking expert (thanks Gordon!), and a very whingey boyfriend, I made my way to the shops on Good Friday for some Three Peaks retail therapy.
First and foremost on the list was a good pair of walking boots – yay, shoe shopping! But rather than worrying about whether I can walk in four inch heels or if gold platforms actually go with anything in my wardrobe, I had rather more important things to worry about on this shopping trip - like whether the boots would support my ankles on the rocky climbs and get me through 13 hours of walking or if they were more likely to give me blisters and leave me limping up the mountains.
I managed to find some great Karrimor KSB boots (Gordon and other outdoor types will know what I’m talking about) at 70% off – I do like a bargain! Next on the list was a warm fleece – check, back pack – check, and a waterproof jacket bright enough so that I can be found if I get caught in a snow blizzard – check. And all before lunch time – phew!
So with the rest of Good Friday free it was a chance to test my new outfit (sorry climbing gear) and break in my boots, so we headed off in search of a hill to climb. We were staying in Yorkshire with family over Easter so the no-longer whingey boyfriend and I set off to the Dales.
We found a five and a half mile walk in a guide book which was described as relatively easy with one steep muddy climb – perfect. After getting a little lost and having a debate over whether a bridge was a stone bridge or a wooden bridge(why can’t they make these instructions simpler?), not to mention an encounter with a rather mean looking horse, it was time for the steep climb.
After wheezing my way up the very slippery path (the guide book wasn’t kidding when it said it was muddy), I was very proud of myself when I reached the top of the ridge. But then I realised I had only climbed 330 metres – just a third of the height of Scarfell Pike – the smallest mountain of the Three Peaks!
My little adventure on the Yorkshire Dales may have helped me break in my walking boots but it also made me realise I need to get a lot fitter - and I have just one month to do it. Eek!
Jenni
The Bank Holiday weekend seemed like the perfect time to start checking off the long list of things we need to take with us for the challenge. And believe me it is a long list – including some things I would rather not talk about (like large sandwich bags – I’ll leave you to figure out what we need those for).
So, armed with my list, some advice from a friend of mine who is a hill walking expert (thanks Gordon!), and a very whingey boyfriend, I made my way to the shops on Good Friday for some Three Peaks retail therapy.
First and foremost on the list was a good pair of walking boots – yay, shoe shopping! But rather than worrying about whether I can walk in four inch heels or if gold platforms actually go with anything in my wardrobe, I had rather more important things to worry about on this shopping trip - like whether the boots would support my ankles on the rocky climbs and get me through 13 hours of walking or if they were more likely to give me blisters and leave me limping up the mountains.
I managed to find some great Karrimor KSB boots (Gordon and other outdoor types will know what I’m talking about) at 70% off – I do like a bargain! Next on the list was a warm fleece – check, back pack – check, and a waterproof jacket bright enough so that I can be found if I get caught in a snow blizzard – check. And all before lunch time – phew!
So with the rest of Good Friday free it was a chance to test my new outfit (sorry climbing gear) and break in my boots, so we headed off in search of a hill to climb. We were staying in Yorkshire with family over Easter so the no-longer whingey boyfriend and I set off to the Dales.
We found a five and a half mile walk in a guide book which was described as relatively easy with one steep muddy climb – perfect. After getting a little lost and having a debate over whether a bridge was a stone bridge or a wooden bridge(why can’t they make these instructions simpler?), not to mention an encounter with a rather mean looking horse, it was time for the steep climb.
After wheezing my way up the very slippery path (the guide book wasn’t kidding when it said it was muddy), I was very proud of myself when I reached the top of the ridge. But then I realised I had only climbed 330 metres – just a third of the height of Scarfell Pike – the smallest mountain of the Three Peaks!
My little adventure on the Yorkshire Dales may have helped me break in my walking boots but it also made me realise I need to get a lot fitter - and I have just one month to do it. Eek!
Jenni
Tuesday 6 April 2010
Race to the finish
So the race has begun.
Gordon Brown has announced an election is to be held on May 6. That leaves the three of us with one month left to cover the election trail, and one month and one day to do our training for Three Peaks.
It's going to be a busy month. Medway features three of the most marginal seats in the country, with one among the top four being targeted by Labour (Rochester and Strood). We'll be following the candidates as they try to gather as many votes as possible, and we'll be talking to people to find out what matters to them in the upcoming election.
And we'll be running on treadmills, talking practice walks around Kent and just hoping we'll make it through to the end.
The countdown begins here.
Sarah
Gordon Brown has announced an election is to be held on May 6. That leaves the three of us with one month left to cover the election trail, and one month and one day to do our training for Three Peaks.
It's going to be a busy month. Medway features three of the most marginal seats in the country, with one among the top four being targeted by Labour (Rochester and Strood). We'll be following the candidates as they try to gather as many votes as possible, and we'll be talking to people to find out what matters to them in the upcoming election.
And we'll be running on treadmills, talking practice walks around Kent and just hoping we'll make it through to the end.
The countdown begins here.
Sarah
Saturday 3 April 2010
Still here, still training (just about)
So it's been a few days since anyone's updated, but I can assure you we're still working hard and have not just given up.
Keyan is back from a skiing trip, thankfully uninjured apart from a case of facial sunburn. Perhaps the threats of making him do Three Peaks regardless of any skiing accidents made him be more cautious than he usually would have been.
We've also been organising our quiz night on April 15, and have landed some fabulous prizes. Richard Phillips, who has a Michelin star for one of his restaurants, is offering a free cookery lesson and lunch for up to eight people. It's a great chance to get tips from someone at the top of their game, so we're really grateful to him.
If you want to come along to the quiz, places are £4 each and it's at the CPC Kent centre in View Road, Cliffe Woods. It starts at 7.30pm and teams can be of up to eight people.
Jenni and I are planning to go climbing on Monday. It'll be our first proper training outside of slogging away on a treadmill at Virgin Active, so it'll be interesting to say the least. We'll also have to motivate ourselves, instead of relying on personal trainer Demian to shout at us. We'll let you know how it goes.
Sarah
Keyan is back from a skiing trip, thankfully uninjured apart from a case of facial sunburn. Perhaps the threats of making him do Three Peaks regardless of any skiing accidents made him be more cautious than he usually would have been.
We've also been organising our quiz night on April 15, and have landed some fabulous prizes. Richard Phillips, who has a Michelin star for one of his restaurants, is offering a free cookery lesson and lunch for up to eight people. It's a great chance to get tips from someone at the top of their game, so we're really grateful to him.
If you want to come along to the quiz, places are £4 each and it's at the CPC Kent centre in View Road, Cliffe Woods. It starts at 7.30pm and teams can be of up to eight people.
Jenni and I are planning to go climbing on Monday. It'll be our first proper training outside of slogging away on a treadmill at Virgin Active, so it'll be interesting to say the least. We'll also have to motivate ourselves, instead of relying on personal trainer Demian to shout at us. We'll let you know how it goes.
Sarah
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